


Dafad Ramantus

by Jadesfire



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-29
Updated: 2010-03-29
Packaged: 2017-10-08 10:07:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/75571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jadesfire/pseuds/Jadesfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to "Ovis Cymraeg."  Jack and Ianto put things back where they belong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dafad Ramantus

  
"You wouldn't really have made me sleep with the Weevils." Jack took his eyes off the road long enough to give Ianto a frown. "Would you?"

"Look where you're going, Jack." Sniffing, Ianto shrugged in what was probably meant to be a casual manner, but out of the corner of his eye, Jack could see his lips twitching. "And we'll never know, will we?"

"Right." Jack gave a nervous laugh. "But you wouldn't have." There was a pause that was altogether too long for Jack's liking. "Would you?"

From the back of the SUV, the sheep gave another plaintive bleat, and Jack shook his head.

"Don't most people drive into the Welsh countryside to _steal_ sheep?"

"Not that we believe national stereotypes or anything like that," Ianto said, with just enough of an edge in his voice that Jack let the subject drop. So much for making a fun evening of it.

To be fair, Owen had spent most of the afternoon making snide comments and sending sheep-related emails to the team address until Ianto had retaliated by putting a personal ad on craigslist Cardiff that had raised even Jack's eyebrows and earned Owen a substantial number of offers before he could get it removed again.

After _that_, Jack had called and enforced a truce, sending Owen home with instructions to not even think of revenge the next day, and promising Ianto a night out. He hadn't intended to spend it driving the source of all the trouble back to its native habitat, but then, few things at Torchwood worked out exactly as he planned. Normally, it made life more fun. Right now, it was just plain annoying. Ianto was sulking, the sheep was baaing, trying to eat the carpet and doing unspeakable things to the back of the SUV, and Jack was starting to think that the whole thing had been a bad idea.

They'd only been on the road for about ten minutes, but already the dark landscape outside the car windows was shifting from the lights and tarmac of the city to low-walled fields and expanses of grass and crops. And tomorrow morning, some unsuspecting farmer was going to wake up to find a new arrival in his field. Jack liked to think of it as a good deed rather than agricultural fly-tipping.

By the time the sat nav beeped to tell them they'd arrived, Ianto had at least unfolded his arms, but he still looked unimpressed by the whole enterprise. Trying not to sigh, Jack parked the car and sat for a while after he'd turned the engine off. But patience had never been his strong suit, and after a minute of annoyed silence, he cracked.

"Well?" he said, looking over at Ianto.

"It was your idea." Ianto folded his arms and sat back in the seat. "I'm just here to make sure you behave yourself with it."

Biting back the instinctive retort, because really, Ianto _had_ put up with enough for one day, Jack sighed. "Fine. Just open the boot, for me, would you?"

He made his way to the back of the car, hearing the click as Ianto tripped the lock from the front seat. The smell as he pulled the boot open was not impressive, but he supposed it would blend into the general odour of the countryside around him, and Weevils definitely smelt worse. Ianto would know where the air freshener was.

Once the boot was open, he could just about make out the shape of their unwelcome visitor inside.

He looked at the sheep. The sheep looked at him.

Stalemate.

Resisting the urge to swear or force the animal from the car at gunpoint, Jack reached into the boot and groped around for the rope that was still tied around the sheep's neck.

"Come on," he said through gritted teeth, tugging until the sheep deigned to come forward a few paces, pausing at the lip of the boot and looking down. Then it backed up again, bleating in alarm.

Jack closed his eyes. Then he took a deep breath, gently pushed the boot half-closed and went round to the passenger door.

"Sorry," he said, as Ianto rolled the window down. "Going to need some help here."

Between them, they just about managed to lift the sheep down to the ground, and Jack pulled on the rope again, half-dragging the sheep behind him as he headed for the nearest gate. Closing it firmly behind him, he untied the rope and gave the animal an expectant look.

"Well?"

It didn't move.

"Go on, get of here."

The sheep ducked its head and pulled up a mouthful of grass, chewing slowly.

"What? You don't want to be free?"

Giving him a long baa, the sheep bent its neck for more food.

He probably shouldn't give an animal a swift kick up the backside, so Jack settled for slapping its rump, startling it into movement and sending it half-running into the field with an affronted bleat.

Shaking his head, Jack turned back to the SUV, seeing Ianto still leaning against the boot, oddly lit by the car's lights. His arms were wrapped around his body again, his shoulders were hunched and he looked cold and miserable. Jack sympathised. This was not the evening he would have planned.

Turning back to the field, Jack checked on the progress of his former charge, which had disappeared into the darkness although he could still hear the occasional 'baa'. Looked like someone was having a good time, anyway. Unlike him and Ianto.

Or at least, unlike him and Ianto at the moment. Tilting his head, Jack thought for a moment, then fished in a pocket for his phone. The WAP signal was kind of faint out here, but it was just about good enough for what he needed.

Five minutes later, he strolled back to the car to find that Ianto had retreated back to the front seat, and was pointedly holding his hands in front of the heaters.

"I was starting to wonder what you were doing out there," he grumbled, then frowned when he saw Jack's smug smirk. "What? What did you do this time?"

"Nothing. Well. Almost nothing." Pulling the sat nav towards him, Jack tilted it away from Ianto and set the new address. Then he started the engine again and pointed the car south. It shouldn't be too long a journey.

It wasn't, but Ianto was dozing gently in the passenger seat by the time Jack stopped the car again, turning off the engine and the lights. Ianto stirred, looking up blearily and peering into the dark.

"Where are we?"

"Porthkerry. Well, just outside."

"What?" Rubbing his eyes, Ianto looked from the old-fashioned country hotel in front of him to Jack, and back again. "What are we doing-"

"They had a vacancy, and I promised you a night out. I don't think depositing sheep on unsuspecting landowners counts, do you?"

"No." It sounded like Ianto was answering on reflex rather than intention, because he was still staring at the hotel. "You booked us in for the night?"

"Nope." That got Ianto's attention, and Jack had to fight to keep the grin off his face as the other man turned to look at him. "I booked us in for two nights. Thought we could check up on our former friend tomorrow, maybe see something of the countryside under more pleasant circumstances than last time. The others can hold the fort for a day or so. That alright?"

Ianto was shaking his head, but he was smiling as well, so that probably made it alright. "Honestly," he said as they got out of the car. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Well, unless you have anything specific in mind," Jack said, drawing him closer and wrapping an arm round his waist as they walked towards the hotel, "I may have a list."

Ianto laughed, and Jack pulled him closer. They didn't do this nearly enough, although next time, he wasn't going to wait until a sheep gave him the excuse.

 


End file.
